Double Dragon (TV series)
| Double Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Technōs Japan (original characters) |
| Directed by | Chuck Patton |
| Voices of |
Jim Byrnes Garry Chalk Michael Donovan Scott McNeil Wesley Morris French Tichner Cathy Weseluck (Season 1) Jay Brazeau (Season 2) Don Brown (Season 2) Ian James Corlett (Season 2) Terry Klassen (Season 2) Alvin Sanders (Season 2) Dale Wilson (Season 2) |
| Theme music composer | Clark Gassman |
| Opening theme | "Double Dragon" |
| Ending theme | "Double Dragon" (Instrumental) |
| Composer(s) |
Clark Gassman Andy Street (Season 2 only) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Andy Heyward Robby London Avi Arad (Season 2) Byron Cook (Season 2) |
| Producer(s) | Chuck Patton |
| Editor(s) | Mark McNally |
| Running time | 22 minutes approx. |
| Production company(s) |
DiC Animation Bohbot Entertainment Tradewest, Inc. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | First-run syndication |
| Original run | September 12, 1993 – December 4, 1994 |
Double Dragon is an American animated series based on the video game franchise of the same name. It was produced by DiC Animation in association with Bohbot Entertainment and Tradewest, Inc., and ran for 26 half-hour episodes in 1993 and 1994.
Overview
The premise of the show had the Lee brothers separated at birth, with Billy being raised by an elderly martial arts master known as the Oldest Dragon. In contrast, his brother Jimmy is raised by the evil Shadow Master to become his second-in-command, the Shadow Boss. As a result, the Lee brothers meet each other as adversaries after being reunited as adults. By the end of the second episode, Jimmy is betrayed by the Shadowmaster, which leads to Jimmy seeing the error of his ways and joining his brother to battle against the Shadowmaster.
The Lee brothers made use of magical swords which contained special powers and added dragon masks to the brothers' outfit. During the course of the series, the brothers recruited allies in their war against the Shadow Master (voiced by Jim Byrnes) and his henchmen, in the second season gaining stronger magical weapons when the Shadow Master harnessed the strength of the even more evil Shadow Kahn to increase his power. The search for their father, John Lee, was a running subplot throughout the series.
The plot of the pilot episode of the series is loosely based on the NES version of the first Double Dragon game. Like in the first NES game, Jimmy is revealed to be the Shadow Boss in this episode, with his henchmen being Abobo and Willy, who were boss characters in the game as well. By the end of the second episode, Abobo and Willy are sucked into the Shadow Mural, never to be seen again, while Billy and Jimmy join forces to fight against the series' true antagonist, the Shadow Master. All of the characters introduced from the second episode and onward were original creations made for the show. The story and characters of the animated series would be used in the Tradewest-produced Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, a Double Dragon fighting game released for home consoles. Also, there was a feature film, The Shield of Shadow Khan, which was built by combining three of Season 2's episodes which were, Shadow Khan, Shadow Claw, and Doom Claw.
Cast of characters
The Double Dragons
The Lee brothers transform into their superheroic identities by crossing swords. Jimmy says "the power of might!" or simply "for might!" Billy says "the power of right!" or simply "for right!" Then in unison they say "We are Double Dragons!" They usually transform out of those forms by crossing swords again and saying in unison "by the power of the dragon!" although several episodes show that taking heavy injury can also deactivate their powers. A major weakness is that they both must be present to activate the powers (and presumably to turn them off). Also, injury sustained by one is also taken by the other (although this ability is inconsistently shown) and if one has their powers deactivated through injury, so will the other. In addition to sharing injury, the brothers also infrequently show an ability to sense when the other is in danger.
- Billy Lee (voiced by Michael Donovan) - Left at the Dragon Dojo by his father John Lee who went to find Billy's twin brother, Billy was raised as a Dragon Master to obey the code to the detail. After meeting his brother Jimmy, they decide to join forces and fight together as the Double Dragons. He is noble and only fights when he must. He transforms into a Double Dragon with his brother Jimmy Lee using their swords. He wears a blue outfit regularly, and a red dragon mask when he transforms (and later as the second Shadow Boss). He can transform further using the Dragon Claws, and later acquires a new armor made by Kami, which gives him two swords which can be brought together to form a propeller on his back for flight. He is the main protagonist of the series.
- Jimmy Lee (voiced by Scott McNeil) - Raised by the Shadow Master and fooled into believing the Shadow Master was his father, Jimmy was raised to be the Shadow Boss and be evil. After being betrayed by the Shadow Master, he joins with Billy as they become the Double Dragons. Jimmy is reckless and always gets in trouble, and he has problems with conformity and often argues with Billy and Marian. He transforms into a Double Dragon with his brother Billy Lee using their swords. He wears a red outfit regularly, and a blue dragon mask when he transforms. He can transform further using the Dragon Claws. He later acquires a new armor made by Kami which gives him a powerful dragon blaster. The second protagonist along with Billy Lee.
As with several other details in the show, the ages of the brothers are a bit inconsistent. The first episode says outright that Billy (and Jimmy, since they are twins) is 18 years old. However, the episode "Call to Arms" has Jimmy lamenting that he's being threatened by a kid "half my age," when the kid in question is clearly a teenager (while Jimmy may be exaggerating, that comment would be outright hyperbole if only a few years separate them). The video game Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls says the birthdate of the brothers is October 23, 1969; at the time of the game's publishing in 1994 this would make them 25, and seems much more likely.
Friends and allies
- Oldest Dragon (voiced by French Tichner) - The original Dragon Master of the Dragon Dojo, he raised Billy Lee and left him the Dragon Sword before leaving the Dojo (it is heavily implied but never actually stated that he died) during the events of the first episode. He reappears in subsequent episodes in spiritual form to assist the Double Dragons.
- Marian Martin (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) - A police officer who helps the Double Dragons and deputized them after Billy Lee saved her life, she is always helping the Double Dragons in anyway she can. Marian is a major character during the first season, but plays a comparatively minor role in the second season.
- Su Lien - She is mistress of chi and the most powerful chi warrior alive, she is Kona's teacher and often assists the Double Dragons in their quest. The Shadow Master has constantly tried to capture her to learn her secrets. She also helped Kami get over her revenge for the Shadow Master.
- Fireball - A young pyrokinetic who was part of a street gang. He (unintentionally) nearly kills a little girl and was sent to jail. After helping the Double Dragons and Marian to save a judge from the Shadow Warriors and a corrupt police commissioner, Fireball was paroled into the custody of the Dragon Dojo. Its implied that Jimmy leaves a slot for him as a Dragon Warrior, should he accept.
- Marika - The wife of John Lee and the mother of Billy and Jimmy, she also happens to be the Shadow Master's half-sister. She willingly lets herself be trapped by her half-brother in an ominous place inside the Shadow Dojo to spare Jimmy's life. Billy and Jimmy found her once but could not save her from the Shadow Master's clutches.
- Megabyte - A skilled computer hacker, she helps the Dragon Masters to make their way through the information superhighway on several occasions using virtual reality technology. Jimmy appears to be briefly attracted to her.
- Sashiko - An Interpol agent who works to crack cyber crimes, Sashiko is Kona's girlfriend and the person who introduces the Dragon Warriors to Megabyte.
- Dragon Spirit - A spirit who inhabited a dragon sword. When the sword is destroyed by the Shadow Master, Chop uses the left over metal in the Dragon Chopper. The Spirit of the Sword then inhabits the chopper and helps the Dragon Warriors fight. His original name was Dao Lung and he once belonged to Chen Long.
- Chen Long - Chen Long was once a Dragon Warrior (literally, a dragon who was a warrior) who owned the Dao Lung-possessed Dragon Sword. Chen Long was attacked by the Shadow Monster; he sent the Sword through a portal and was thought to be dead. It was found he was alive and was revived to help fight the reborn Shadow Monster. Chen Long sacrificed his life to save the Dragon Warriors, he now joins the Oldest Dragon. As he passed on he imparted a "gift" on the Double Dragons, a glowing ball of light. He said they would know what it was "soon enough," but it was never revealed (presumably due to the lack of a third season)
Dragon Warriors
The Dragon Warriors are granted costumes (and often enhanced powers) through a ceremony in which the Lee brothers lay their swords on the person's shoulders and say (alternating, with Jimmy's words in italics) "To uphold the code of the dragon, for might and for right, to defend the innocent against the shadow," then in unison "you are [name], Dragon Warrior!" The Dragon Warrior can then call up their costume and weaponry by placing their right fist to their chest and saying "by the power of the dragon" or "I am [name], Dragon Warrior!" whenever Billy and Jimmy are transformed.
- Vortex (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - His parents helped John Lee by inviting him into their home, during that time, John was searching for his son, Jimmy. Because Vortex reminded him of his son, he trained him in the spinning fighting style to fight. When the Shadow Master attacked his home and presumably killed his parents, Vortex ran away and went to live with street kids, whom he protected. After being forced to fight by Sickle, Shadow Master noticed techniques that could only be used by John Lee. Shadow Master took it upon himself to force Vortex to reveal the identity of his teacher; however, the Double Dragons save Vortex and made him a Dragon Warrior. It was later revealed he was illiterate, mainly due to living in the streets after the Shadow Warriors attacked.
- Col. Neil "Blaster" McReady (voiced by Alvin Sanders) - Who recently retired from the army, comes back to his old neighborhood and finds that the Shadow Master is using his new drug "Oblivion" to cause havoc. At first McReady fights Billy and Jimmy after mistaking them for Shadow Warriors, he then helps the Double Dragons and is later made into a Dragon Warrior. He uses a blaster he obtained in the army; prior to being a Dragon Warrior, the weapon was just a chest cannon and cyclopean googles; afterwards, it is given a dragon motif.
- Kona "Tsunami" (voiced by Garry Chalk) - Was a well-known Hawaiian Sumo Wrestler and was trained in Chi by Su Lien, the Master (or Mistress) of Chi. When his master visits, she is taken by the Shadow Master, so he joins the Double Dragons to save her. He is made into a Dragon Warrior who uses chi to fight.
- Mike "Chop" Pollard (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A former police officer who lost his right arm in a car accident and now works as mechanic. He is known as one of the best car makers. He feels useless because of his disability, so he is tricked by Shadow Master into making vehicles for the Shadow Warriors and given a mechanical arm. Once he realizes his mistake he makes the Dragon Cruiser for the Double Dragons. He also builds himself a new robotic arm and is made into a Dragon Warrior.
- Kami - Her father used to forge powerful armor using the Black Flame until he was killed by the Shadow Master, she came to Metro City and started the Komodo Dojo in hopes of getting revenge on the Shadow Master. She lures Michael to join her cause and dojo, but thanks to the Double Dragons she and Michael are saved and reformed. She becomes the second disciple of Chi by Su Lien, who helps her control her lust for vengeance. She later forges new armors for the Double Dragons to defeat Shadow Kahn (and unintentionally one for the Shadow Master); she is then made a Dragon Warrior, where her father's armor becomes purified.
- Daj (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - A mutant who lives in Undertown, he and the Double Dragons help each other many times. It is later discovered he is destined to be the Lord of the Undertown Dragon Temple. He is able to hatch a Dragon from an egg in the underground temple which becomes a surrogate little brother and helps him fight. Daj is made into an Undertown Dragon Warrior who can use his powers to control all creatures.
Junior Dragons
- Michael (voiced Wesley Morris) - A kid who trains at the Dragon Dojo and is friends with Billy and Jimmy Lee. He is the most seen of the Junior Dragons. He is at one point seduced by Kami to use a Cyber Armor to fight the Shadow Master, but later returns to being a Junior Dragon.
- Jason - A student who spared with Michael in the second episode. He was featured predominately in an episode where the Shadow Master sold plasma weapons to young street gang members. One member attacked a rival gang, and Jason's sister was caught in the crossfire and hospitalized. Jason bought such a weapon to get revenge but later found that the gunman was such a coward that Jason didn't need it and used his martial arts training to bring him to justice.
- Daryl - A kid who initially wanted to become a Shadow Warrior and helped to trick Billy and Jimmy into a trap. He switched sides when he saw the Shadow Master almost kill Billy.
- Danny - A video game lover, his dad is an archaeologist who uncovers artifacts for the Double Dragons. He is tricked by the Shadow Master to get the Dragon Claws; however the Double Dragons save the day and he becomes a Junior Dragon.
Shadow Warriors
Most of the Shadow Warriors (and other villains, a few of the heroes, the Undertown citizens, and even some animals in the series) are mutants. The Shadow Master says in "Over the Line" that these mutants are somehow created due to "high levels of EMF generated by [Metro City's] ancient underground power grid". Although Metro City taps into the EMF and uses it to generate power, it is not established if the power source is man-made or a natural phenomenon. According to the same episode, the EMF gives the Black Flame its power (and the Shadow Master desires to shut down the EMF power plant to increase the Flame's strength), which suggests the latter.
- Shadow Master (voiced by Jim Byrnes) - The main antagonist in the series and the leader of Shadow Warriors, his ultimate goal is to cover the world in darkness and shadow. He has many powers which include shapeshifting and teleporting, and he is able to trap warriors who fail him in the Shadow Mural. He is dark and cruel and has a scythe for a weapon which has a detachable sword for the lower half to be used by the Shadow Boss. As revealed in "The Abyss", he was once the half-brother of Billy and Jimmy's mother until he was consumed by the Black Flames, making him the siblings' uncle.
- Icepick (voiced by Terry Klassen) - A Shadow Warrior who appears to be made of ice, he is the computer and technology expert of the gang. He fights using a katana and a pair of daggers; he actually inserts these weapons into his icy body rather than using any sort of sheath.
- Sickle (voiced by Scott McNeil) - A Shadow Warrior who specializes in disguises and is armed with two large red sickles.
- Trigger Happy (voiced by Terry Klassen) - A large brute who loves to destroy and shoot at things, he uses a hand mounted blaster to fire at unsuspecting people. In the series his standard blaster appears to fit over his left hand like a glove, but the action figure's version of the blaster is simply hand-held.
- Countdown (voiced by Alvin Sanders) - Another large brutish Shadow Warrior who is usually used to make deals with the organization's allies. He attacks with shoulder mounted rocket blasters. In "Shadow Conned," the Shadow Khan manipulates him into betraying the Shadow Master. He was imprisoned in the shield Shadow Khan was once trapped in by the Shadow Master after his betrayal was discovered.
- Jawbreaker (voiced by Michael Donovan) - A monstrous pink-skinned mutant who has a large jaw with sharp teeth and can bite a chunk out of anything. In "Sight of Freedom," he turns against the Shadow Warriors after befriending the police commissioner's blind daughter.
- Abobo (voiced by Blu Mankuma) - A large blue thug with monstrous strength who works for the Shadow Boss in the pilot episode ("The Shadow Falls"). In the beginning of the second episode ("The Legend Continues"), he is sucked into the Shadow Mural never to be seen again for the remainder of the series.
- Wild Willy (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A crazy cowboy who wields two laser blasters, he also serves the Shadow Boss in the pilot episode and works alongside Abobo. His maniacal personality appears to annoy the more serious Abobo. Like Abobo, he too is absorbed into the Shadow Mural at the beginning of the second episode.
- Shadow Khan (voiced by Alec Willows) - Introduced in the beginning of the second season, he is a powerful and evil villain who in the past was trapped within a shield by the Oldest Dragon. The Shadow Master uses the entrapped being to make himself more powerful, until Khan convinces Countdown to free him in "Shadow Conned". He is able to bring out his victim's worst fears and can only be harmed by the Dragon Claws. He later summons his own army known as the Terror Warriors, with similar powers to him, to help him fight the Double Dragons.
- Shadow Warriors (voiced by Michael Donovan) - The Shadow Master's group of thugs. Two of them appear in Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls: a male known as Blade and a female known as Sekka.
- Shadow Boss (voiced by Scott McNeil) - Jimmy Lee's alter ego. In the feature film, The Shield of Shadow Khan, they are separate characters.
Others
- Hannibal - A huge monster appearing in only one episode, "Judgment Day".
Episodes
Season 1
| # | Title | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Shadow Falls" | Phil Harnage and Sandra Ryan | September 12, 1993 | 101 |
| 2 | "The Legend Continues" | Phil Harnage and Martha Moran | September 19, 1993 | 102 |
| 3 | "The Mistress of Chi" | Richard Mueller | September 26, 1993 | 106 |
| 4 | "The Price of Oblivion" | Bob Forward | October 3, 1993 | 103 |
| 5 | "River of Tears" | Pat Allee and Ben Hurst | October 10, 1993 | 104 |
| 6 | "Over the Line" | Sandra Ryan | October 17, 1993 | 107 |
| 7 | "Rebirth" | David Carren and Larry Carroll | October 24, 1993 | 108 |
| 8 | "Judgment Day" | Mike O'Mahoney | October 31, 1993 | 105 |
| 9 | "Dragon Hunt" | Kurt Weldon | November 7, 1993 | 111 |
| 10 | "Call to Arms" | Kurt Weldon | November 14, 1993 | 109 |
| 11 | "Heart of the Matter" | Kurt Weldon | November 21, 1993 | 110 |
| 12 | "The Abyss" | Michael O'Mahoney | November 28, 1993 | 113 |
| 13 | "The Eye of the Dragon" | Pat Allee and Ben Hurst | December 5, 1993 | 112 |
Season 2
| # | Title | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | "Shadow Khan" | Martha Moran | September 11, 1994 | 201 |
| 15 | "Shadow Claw" | Phil Harnage | September 18, 1994 | 202 |
| 16 | "Virtual Reality Bytes" | Rich Mueller | September 25, 1994 | 204 |
| 17 | "Doom Claw" | Martha Moran | October 2, 1994 | 203 |
| 18 | "Superhighway Warriors" | Rich Mueller | October 9, 1994 | 206 |
| 19 | "Undertown" | Doug Booth | October 16, 1994 | 205 |
| 20 | "Spirit in the Sword" | Doug Booth | October 23, 1994 | 208 |
| 21 | "Shadow Conned" | Martha Moran | October 30, 1994 | 209 |
| 22 | "The Sight of Freedom" | Phil Harnage | November 6, 1994 | 211 |
| 23 | "Ancients Arrive" | Sandra Ryan | November 13, 1994 | 210 |
| 24 | "The Return of the Shadowmonster" | Doug Booth | November 20, 1994 | 212 |
| 25 | "Daj of the Undertown Dragons" | Martha Moran | November 27, 1994 | 213 |
| 26 | "RPM" | Phil Harnage | December 4, 1994 | 207 |
Merchandise
In addition to the video game Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, made for the Sega Genesis, SNES, and Atari Jaguar, Tyco Toys produced a set of action figures. The figures included Billy Lee, Jimmy Lee, Blaster, Vortex, Shadow Master, Sickle, and Trigger Happy. Three vehicles were also made: The (Dragon) Cycle, (Dragon) Cruiser, and Shadow Raven.
Releases
Select episodes were released on VHS.
External links
- Double Dragon series director yoshihisa kishimoto HP
- Double Dragon Cartoon at Double Dragon Dojo
- Double Dragon at the Internet Movie Database
- Double Dragon at TV.com
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